The energy released from a nuclear fission device is given by the equation [[E=mc²]]. Spelled out, the energy of a physical system is equal to the system's mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. (In [[natural units]], the equation would be simplified to ''E''=''m''.) This equation is the formula for the energy contained in an atom. This energy is released in a nuclear weapon when a speeding [[neutron]] collides with the atom, blasting it apart, and releasing the binding energy of the atom. In a nuclear weapon, the atom blasted apart then releases other neutrons which collide with other atoms. This keeps occurring until there are no atoms left to destroy. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear fission power plant, however, the nuclear core is designed so that a runaway chain reaction cannot occur, by limiting the number of neutrons available to continue the reaction by the use of control rods.<ref>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/control.html</ref> | The energy released from a nuclear fission device is given by the equation [[E=mc²]]. Spelled out, the energy of a physical system is equal to the system's mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. (In [[natural units]], the equation would be simplified to ''E''=''m''.) This equation is the formula for the energy contained in an atom. This energy is released in a nuclear weapon when a speeding [[neutron]] collides with the atom, blasting it apart, and releasing the binding energy of the atom. In a nuclear weapon, the atom blasted apart then releases other neutrons which collide with other atoms. This keeps occurring until there are no atoms left to destroy. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction. In a nuclear fission power plant, however, the nuclear core is designed so that a runaway chain reaction cannot occur, by limiting the number of neutrons available to continue the reaction by the use of control rods.<ref>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/control.html</ref> |